Paprocki said in a statement Friday morning that the government “has no moral authority to change what god has created.” Illinois has allowed gay marriages since last year after state lawmakers approved them in 2013.

The Roman Catholic bishop says just because the government legalizes gay marriage “does not make it morally valid.”

Paprocki leads the Diocese of Springfield, which includes more than 140,000 Catholics in 28 counties in central Illinois covering more than 15,000 square miles.